The Promise
by A. Thena Agron
Summary: WARNING: Character death. Fei Long is gravely wounded in an attack and Yoh arrives to help him.


TITLE: The Promise

CHARACTERS: Fei Long, Yoh and Tao

RATING: PG-13 for mentions of violence

SPOILERS/WARNINGS: Character death. Set after the events of the Naked Truth arc.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I really tried to write something fun for Fei Long's birthday but this is what came out instead. Sorry this has not been beta-ed, had to finish in a rush when I realized deadline was already here. (slightly edited to clarify something)

DISCLAIMER: The wonderful world of Viewfinder and all its amazing characters belong to Yamane Ayano.

GREEN TEA — CARNATIONS — LIGHT BULB — CAROUSEL — EXOTIC

He pressed the handkerchief harder against the wound on his side, grimacing at the pain. Warm, sticky fluid coated his fingers; the square piece of scented white linen didn't do much to stanch the flow of blood. As his eyes swept the dark alley, with its trash bins and empty crates, its stench of rotting garbage and various human excretions, he wondered if this was it — if this was how his life was going to end.

The appointment with the Hus that morning had been scheduled as a very simple meet and greet. The leader of the gang from the mainland had wanted to make sure he was indeed dealing with the Baishe, and Fei Long had wanted — no, needed — the route the other Chinese group held. Reorganizing the Baishe after that debacle on the cruise ship had been a long and painful process. The traitors had to be weeded out and the businesses and routes they had compromised secured once more. Fei Long had only needed to seal this deal to signal the return of Baishe's smuggling supremacy in the region.

But somebody had crashed the party. And they had brought all kinds of deadly fireworks.

One moment Fei Long had been enjoying a nice, quiet ride; the next he had been crawling out of a burning, upside-down SUV, dodging gunfire and watching men all around him drop like flies. He would have suspected the Hus of a double-cross if he hadn't seen the leader get cut in half by machine-gun fire.

Movement from the mouth of the alley caught the corner of his eye and halted his reverie. Someone was coming. He inched closer to the shadows behind the trash bin and listened closely. Maybe whoever it was didn't see him and would move on. He picked up his gun, which felt heavier in his weakened hand.

The footsteps grew louder. Or maybe that was the beating of his own heart. He took a deep breath to steady himself and blew it out as quietly as possible. His hand shook with the strain of holding the gun, so he propped it against his stomach. He had two bullets left. He needed to make them count. His finger tightened on the trigger when the footsteps slowed. Fei Long braced himself, ready to fire, when a voice called out, a voice he never thought he'd hear again.

"Fei Long-sama?"

Yoh stepped into view.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The last time he'd seen the traitorous bastard was almost a year ago, on the cruise ship, when he had offered his life and professed his love. He'd disappeared after that and Fei Long had thought he'd gone back to Asami.

Yoh didn't seem interested in offering explanations. "Your attackers are heading this way. You need to move to a safer place."

Fei Long tried to snort, but the pain in his side made him gasp. He gritted his teeth. "How do I know you're not trying to lure me out so they can finish me off?"

"Because you know I'd rather die than see you get hurt."

This time, Fei Long managed the snort.

"Too late. You already did."

He struggled to his feet. Yoh stepped forward as if to help but backed away when Fei Long gave him a hard look. He gripped the lip of the trash bin to haul himself up. It took a couple of tries and he was pale and drenched in cold sweat by the time he managed to get upright.

"Boss … "

He shook his head, cutting Yoh off. "Stop calling me 'Boss.' We both know where your loyalties lie."

It looked as if Yoh wanted to say something about that, maybe defend himself, but apparently thought better of it. Instead, he posed a question. "Do you have a safehouse nearby that no one among the Baishe knows?"

Fei Long followed Yoh's train of thought — because only he and the Hus knew of the meeting, it was possible there was a mole in his organization. Fuck! He thought he'd rid himself of all traitors. Traitors like the man standing in front of him. Fei Long considered his options, a difficult task when he could hear his blood pounding in his ears. He shook his head to clear the noise as his vision dimmed.

"Please. Trust me. "

Trust Yoh? Fei Long knew he had every reason not to trust his former right-hand man. His head was telling him one thing, his gut another. As he began to sway, he managed to get out: "Carousel ... in the park."

He thought he heard Yoh curse, but he wasn't sure. He was falling, then the world turned to black.

* * *

The horse had no head.

Fei Long snapped awake and forced himself not to scramble away. He blinked rapidly to get his eyes to focus and did a slow survey of the room. Boxes. Mirrors. Light bulbs. A pink elephant with white spots missing one of its ears.

Of course, the carousel in the park. That's where he told Yoh to take him. This must be the storage room, judging from the numerous boxes overflowing with the remnants of the once-popular amusement ride. And judging by how dusty the boxes, the floor, the paint tarp he was sitting on were it had been quite a long time since anybody had been there.

"You're awake."

Fei Long looked up to see Yoh at the door. For the first time, he noticed Yoh didn't look like his usual self. Gone was the severe black suit that made him look like an undertaker. Instead, his former subordinate looked quite young in jeans and a shirt — a white shirt heavily smeared with blood.

"You have blood on your —" Fei Long gestured weakly toward Yoh' shirt.

Yoh shrugged. "Sorry about your shirt."

Fei Long looked down and realized he was still wearing his suit jacket, but his expensive dress shirt was now in strips and wrapped rather sloppily around his torso. Yoh must have dressed the gunshot wound. "Thanks" would have been the appropriate response, but he wasn't quite ready to offer niceties yet. Not when he had so many questions.

"How did you know about the attack?"

"I didn't. I just happened to be there."

Fei Long raised an eyebrow. "You used to be a much better liar."

Yoh hesitated before answering again. "I was following you."

The eyebrow climbed higher. "Just today?"

"Every day."

"Well, I assume it's not to kill me. Otherwise, you could have just left me in that alley." He still might die, he thought, as another spear of pain stabbed his gut. "Were you feeling guilty over your betrayal? Is that why you're playing bodyguard for free? You know, I was in no mood for explanations that night on the cruise ship. But I find I'm interested in them now. I guess having a hole in my gut changed that."

"Bo— " Yoh stopped at Fei Long's glare. "There's no point—"

"Indulge a dying man. Answer my questions. What made you turn against me? What made you betray Baishe? You never told us that. Even when the men broke almost every bone in your body — I'm still surprised you survived that, by the way — you never said why. Did Asami offer you a big bribe?"

Yoh shook his head.

"Did he threaten you or somebody close to you? Did he say he'd harm your family?" Fei Long frowned. "You never said anything about having a family, though? When did he get to you? How did he get to you? As far as I know —"

Yoh shook his head again and raised a hand. "Please don't. Stop … "

"— he hadn't been back to Hong Kong since — "

Fei Long's voice trailed off as a possible answer occurred to him. During the past year, he'd put off thinking about Yoh and Asami, telling himself he needed to concentrate on rebuilding his organization and assuring his allies that his full attention was focused on business. Now he wondered if it was because he wasn't ready to know the truth.

"You were his," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You had always been his. It was all an act."

Yoh scrambled to kneel in front of him, his face the very picture of torture. "No. Fei Long, please listen —"

"When you saved me in prison? Was that staged? Meant to make me trust you?"

"No."

Fei Long thought that was all he was going to get until Yoh spoke again. "No, it was a stroke of good fortune that brought me to your attention. You have to understand, I wasn't meant to be a mole in your organization. My order was only to look after you, make sure no one bothered you in prison. I don't know if you remember what you were like back then. You didn't seem interested in living. Asami was … concerned."

Fei Long laughed without humor. "Asami? Interested in my well-being?"

"He cared. Maybe not the way you wanted, but he cared."

Fei Long's eyes flew up to Yoh's face. The damn man saw too much.

"And after? When we got out? You could have walked away."

You shook his head slowly. "I was already yours."

Pain twisted Fei Long's heart. He wanted to believe so badly. He needed to believe so badly. But he was too familiar with betrayals.

"Do you want to know how I knew of this place?"

If Yoh was surprised by the change in topic, he didn't show it. He simply sat on the floor, legs crossed, and waited for Fei Long to continue.

"Mother used to take me and Yan here when we were kids. We spent hours on different rides; the carousel was my favorite. Then we went home, passing by the florist to get arrangements for the house. Nothing exotic, just carnations. She loved carnations. Said they looked cheerful. Then we had afternoon tea. Green tea for me, black for her." The room began spinning again but he found enough strength to smile at the memory.

"Even when Yan began refusing to go to the park, calling it a childish pastime, she still took me. She let me ride the carousel again and again, sitting on one of the benches, waving every time I came up."

"She told me she loved me and that it didn't matter that she didn't give birth to me. I was hers and she was mine. Sound familiar?"

Fei Long met Yoh's gaze and held it. "One day, she was gone. Father said she left with her lover. A man she'd been meeting here, at the park." Fei Long leaned closer and whispered, "So you can tell me you're mine a million times and I still wouldn't believe you."

Yoh whispered back. "I'll prove it to you, Fei Long. I promise you this, before this day ends, you'll believe I've always been yours."

Fei Long smiled sadly as he began to slide. "I think the day is just about to end for me."

* * *

He first became aware of the soft beeps around him. Voices, hurried and anxious, followed. Then they went away. The next time he came to he realized two small hands were cradling one of his.

"Tao?" His voice came out as a croak but the boy's head popped up at the sound.

"Fei Long-sama!" he cried out happily. The boy jumped out of his chair and was out of the room in a flash before Fei Long could ask anything. As he looked around, he realized he was in his room at the country estate; the room was outfitted with enough machines to resemble a small trauma center. Yoh apparently came through with help. Fei Long smiled. Maybe this time he'll say thanks. He wondered if Yoh was at the estate or if he needed to send for him. Their conversation was definitely not over.

A doctor and a couple of nurses hustled into the room, all smiles and greetings, followed by one of his men and Tao. Relief was written all over Wong's face. One nurse immediately gave him some ice chips and the cold was a boon to his parched throat.

"Thank the heavens you are awake and well, Boss. Everyone's been so worried. Is there anything you need, Boss?"

"Yes, Wong. Get me Yoh."

"But Boss —"

"I know, I know. He betrayed us. But he really helped —"

"Yes, he did, Boss. But — "

"Would you let me finish?" Fei Long glared at his subordinate. "Bring Yoh to me. No arguments."

Wong hesitated once more, clearly distressed. It was Tao who finally spoke up. The boy took Fei Long's hand again and said simply, "But Fei Long-sama, Yoh is dead."

Fei Long felt his heart skip a beat before thundering in a gallop. All around him machines went haywire with their beeping. "What do you mean Yoh is dead?" He looked to Wong for an explanation.

"He showed up during the attack and helped our men, Boss. He was still fighting when we got there but he was all shot up. He did manage to tell us you were in the carousel in the park before he died."

Fei Long shook his head. "But he was with me at the carousel. He even helped bandage my — " He stopped as he tried to recall what happened in the storage room. "He was there with me. We talked."

"Boss, he couldn't have been with you. Our men said he never left the fight."

Wong exchanged worried looks with the doctor, infuriating Fei Long. "But he was with me! He took me to the carousel!"

One of the nurses came over and tried to soothe him while the other prepared a shot. Fei Long's mind raced over the events of the day of the attack. How did he get to the carousel? How did his wound get dressed? If it wasn't Yoh who helped him, then who did?

"Boss, are you all right?"

The blood on Yoh's shirt. He had assumed that was his, but what if it was actually Yoh's. Wong said he was all shot up. But that would mean … no, that's just impossible. Fei Long shook his head in disbelief. Had he been talking to a man who'd already been dead? Had he been talking to a ghost?

He remembered Yoh's vow.

"I'll prove it to you, Fei Long. I promise you this, before this day ends, you'll believe I've always been yours."

**THE END**


End file.
